Now and again we come across something on our travels which just needs featuring on the blog. This time it's the Saint Kitts Scenic Railway: a 2ft 6" gauge 18-mile long ex-sugar railway running out of Basseterre on the island of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. During this week and next, myself, Maisie and some friends are cruising twelve islands in the area, having flown into Barbados to join our ship on Sunday. One of the excursions offered was this one: the "Saint Kitts Scenic Railway". I must admit, I'd never heard of it but the blurb about it sounded interesting so we decided to book on. Our cruise ship docked at the port of the island's capital (Basseterre) early this morning, with our excursion booked to depart by bus from the pier at 08:30. At the port our tickets were checked before we boarded one of the waiting buses...
Our friendly bus driver gave us a run down of some history of Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis as we made our way to the base of the SKSR a few minutes away. The convoy of sign written buses soon pulled up at the railway and we were loaded onto the waiting train, made up of four double decker coaches and a generator van. I believe the station is known as Needsmust and is 1/2 mile from the old sugar factory the line once served. The line dates back to 1912 and was part of an extensive system that once traversed most (if not all) of the island. Obviously at one time it was operated by steam traction but later converted to diesel as times moved on. Eventually, as sugar traffic began to decline, the first tourist trains ran in January 2003, attempting to open up a new income stream from the scenic route along the coast. Finally, in July 2005, the last sugar train ran and with that the sugar industry ended on Saint Kitts. Here, our train prepares to depart Needsmust...
Up at the front, a PKP Class Lyd2 diesel hydraulic soon roared into life ready to haul the train the 18 miles to the balloon loop at La Vallee where trains currently terminate. This class of 0-6-0 diesel hydraulics was built in Romania by a company called FAUR between 1976 and 1982 and three of them were bought from Poland by the SKSR to work the tourist trains here. I'm not sure which of the three we had as I didn't get up close to it, but they're almost identical. It's a shame the line isn't still steam but these diesel engines seem to provide durable and reliable service to suit the needs of this seasonal daily operation. With a toot on the horn, the Lyd2 pulled away and was soon rattling through the yard next to the SKSRs workshops. Across the yard were relics of the old sugar railway system, including a few Hunslet diesels...
The friendly staff on board the train then began their service and the passengers on each car received complimentary rum punch and sugar cake: both very tasty. Throughout the trip there was a commentary given on the history of the railway and any sights we were passing along the way. Meanwhile the diesel hydraulic kept up a constant growl as we plodded on at a steady pace of 8mph...
The train ride did live up to its name: it was certainly a scenic railway. The scenery was also very changeable, leaving residential areas for a mix of open fields and wooded cuttings followed eventually by open views of the ocean. During our trip we passed over five (if I remember rightly) impressive bridges across some deep ravines...
The weather was almost perfect for this trip (not too hot). We'd experienced temperatures of 30 degrees plus throughout the week but this morning it was breezy and overcast so much more pleasant for sitting on the open coaches for a couple of hours without roasting alive! It was all quite relaxing...
All too soon the sight of the buses on the lineside up ahead heralded our arrival at the loop at La Vallee where the growling diesel finally came to a stand...
Here the passengers detrained and swapped with those who had just arrived aboard the buses. They would be doing the island tour in reverse...
Whilst here, our friends insisted I had this shot with the train manager...
"Me and the SKSR Train Manager" (Pic - E.Parker)
We then rejoined our bus driver and continued the remaining circuit of the island by road, accompanied again by an interesting commentary. Along our route back to the port I noticed a few remnants of the more extensive original railway hidden in the undergrowth. You could see areas where crossings had been covered up by tarmac but the rails still arrived on either side through the grass. Maybe one day trains will return this far...who knows? Back at Basseterre we had a look around a few of the port shops before rejoining our ship as it waited at the end of the pier...
"Marella Explorer 2 moored at beautiful Basseterre"
By sunset we were leaving Saint Kitts and Nevis behind, heading onward for Saint Martin tomorrow. There were some beautiful views this evening...
What a pleasure to see Saint Kitts from the comfort of its historic narrow gauge railway. This is a very nice little setup and well worth a visit if you're on the island. I know that it is very popular with a variety of cruise operators and one of the islands most well patronised attractions. That's all for now guys, until next time...
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